Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin is not associated with the increased frequency of apolipoprotein-E-epsilon-4 allele in elderly non-demented leprosy patients.
In our previous study, elderly leprosy patients showed a low prevalence of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, but the frequency of apolipoprotein E (APO-E) epsilon 4 was elevated in non-demented elderly leprosy patients. Recent study has shown that Alzheimer's disease risk associated with APO-E epsilon 4 is significantly increased by the alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) genotype AA. Therefore we examined an association between ACT polymorphism and the APO-E epsilon 4 allele in 350 leprosy patients. None of our data showed an association of ACT genotype and APO-E epsilon 4 allele in leprosy patients. The allelic frequencies of the ACT gene did not differ even between demented patients with leprosy and age-matched controls. Our present data suggest that ACT polymorphism is not associated with the increased frequency of APO-E epsilon 4 in leprosy patients.
Endoh
M
M
Division of Demyelinating Disease and Aging, National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP, Kodaira, Japan.
Ueki
A
A
Takahashi
K
K
Yamanaka
H
H
Izumi
S
S
Tabira
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000514:alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D000514:alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin